Electronic finding aid was encoded in EAD by Rebecca Baker in May 2015. Description is in English.

The Jewish Rehabilitation Center for Aged of the North Shore (JRC) was founded in 1945 as a convalescent home for the elderly in the North Shore Jewish community. Over the years, the organization expanded and became a permanent residence for the elderly, and with the opening of its assisted living facility in Peabody, the
JRC became the largest not-for-profit home for the elderly on the North Shore. The collection contains programs for meetings and events, as well as a small group of photographs and newspaper clippings.

The Jewish Rehabilitation Center for Aged of the North Shore (JRC) was founded in 1945 as the Jewish Convalescent Home. A group of men and women from Lynn, Massachusetts, led by Rabbi Herman Bick of Congregation Anshai Sfard, determined a need for a convalescent home for the sick and elderly members of the North Shore community. Through outreach and fundraising efforts, the group
purchased their first facility at 147 Washington Street in Lynn. The Ladies’ Auxiliary raised money to furnish the building and purchase linens for its residents.

By 1951, the purpose of the organization had changed from a convalescent home to a permanent residence for the elderly. Along with their evolving mission, the name of the center changed to the Jewish Home for the Aged.

A 1964 study undertaken by the National Council of Aging and the Jewish Federation of the North Shore found that the North Shore required a larger, more modern facility to meet the needs of the community’s older population. Thereafter, the Jewish Home for the Aged began planning and fundraising to fulfill the community’s needs. In 1966, they changed their name to the Jewish Rehabilitation
Center for Aged of the North Shore (JRC).

The new facility opened its doors in 1972 and quickly reached its capacity of eighty residents, while filling a long waiting list as well. The JRC added 100 beds over the following couple of years, and dedicated the Shapiro-Rudolph Adult Day Center in 1985.

The JRC continued to expand, update, and add new services through the 1990s. With the opening of the Woodbridge facility in Peabody, which provides a variety of housing options for its residents, the JRC became the largest not-for-profit home for the elderly on the North Shore.

References

Materials from the collection.

Chronology

1945

The Jewish Convalescent Home is founded.

1951

The Jewish Convalescent Home becomes the Jewish Home for the Aged.

1964

A study into the needs of the elderly on the North Shore is undertaken.

1965

A committee is established to plan for the expansion of the Home.

1966

The Jewish Home for the Aged is renamed the Jewish Rehabilitation Center for Aged of the North Shore.

The Records of the Jewish Rehabilitation Center for Aged of the North Shore consists of programs from annual meetings and recognition dinners, as well as a 50th anniversary dinner in 1995 and a “Dynasty”-themed event in 1986. In Folder 4, there are also some miscellaneous photographs and newspaper clippings documenting events held at the JRC. A small group relates to the Ladies’
Auxiliary, and one photograph is of Cantor Morton Shanok.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Collections and Engagement of the American Jewish Historical Society,
except items that are restricted due to their fragility.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact: American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th
Street, New York, NY, 10011email:
reference@ajhs.org

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:Identification of item, date (if known);
Jewish Rehabilitation Center for Aged of the North Shore Records;
I-575; box number; folder number; Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS.